


Family Tree

by inuyashamunkey



Series: Bad Things Happen Bingo [7]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: All Who Wander Are Not Lost, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Baby Keith (Voltron), Blade of Marmora Keith (Voltron), Dads of Marmora (Voltron), Family, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Galra Keith (Voltron), Hurt, Keith (Voltron) was Raised by the Blade of Marmora, Keith's blade, Major Character Injury, Memory Loss, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-19
Updated: 2018-11-19
Packaged: 2019-08-26 00:15:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,844
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16671109
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inuyashamunkey/pseuds/inuyashamunkey
Summary: Keith was raised by The Blade of Marmora until he was thirteen when his pack decided it was simply too dangerous for him to stay. They made the heart-wrenching decision to drop him off on Earth where they hoped he'd have a peaceful life but, years later, they are reunited and Keith has no memory of them.Their kit's life had not ended up the way they hoped it would.





	Family Tree

**Author's Note:**

> Keith didn't die again! (it can't last.)
> 
> Edit: I just realized I didn't use rich text and all of the italicizations were gone and this is the second time I've done this and I'm sorry I'm used to using HTML--anyway, it's fixed now so this is irrelevant but

Keith was  _ fire. _

Keith was quick to warm hearts with sweet smiles and loud, joyful laughter but it was a double-edged sword as his tongue was a wild flame, burning fingers with swift, cutting remarks that would surely scar.   
  
Keith was misunderstood, this Thace knew. Keith was like coffee; he was the refined taste of an older palette and kids his age couldn't fathom his delicacy.   
  
Keith tried, Thace didn't think giving up was something Keith understood on any level and, to Thace, that was a matter of pride; his kit was skilled beyond his years due to his dedication, but the  _ one thing _ he just wasn't so good at was making friends. It was partially his fault, but widely the fault of the racism passed through the mouths of parents onto their babes, an ever-present issue among young Blades.   
  
It gave Thace hope that Keith would do better among his own, unfounded as it may have been.   
  
Thace's claws tapped quietly against his arms as he watched Keith mull over the correct Galran words to write on his paper, his pink tongue caught between his flat, human teeth in concentration.   
  
He was the son of Thace's sister, Krolia, and another alien who passed before Thace had had the honor of meeting him, but the Blade had raised him since he was as tall as Ulaz's calf.   
  
He had trained like one of them, eaten like one of them, learned like one of them, become like one of them.   
  
He  _ was _ one of them.   
  
But that didn't make him any less human.   
  
_ (Him being human didn't prevent them from loving him.) _   
  
Thace's yellow eyes roamed over Keith's features, both Galran and human. His warm, peach skin, his tiny, round ears, his non-threatening fangs.   
  
The kit was soft in all of the places Galra were sharp, smooth in all of the places they were prickly and furred.   
  
"Thace?" Thace looked at Keith, who had lifted his head.   
  
"Yes?" Thace prompted, his voice a deep timbre.   
  
Keith lifted the sheet of paper off of his metal working station and handing the sheet off to Thace. "What does this word mean? I've heard it, but..."   
  
Thace squinted at the page, and his heart thumped, his mouth drying. " _ K'dalah? _ You... Have you never heard that word?"   
  
Keith frowned, mouthing the word. "No."   
  
Thace felt his heart squeeze. Thirteen years of life and the child had never been told what  _ K'dalah _ meant. Thace's mind jolted with the realization that none of the pack had ever said it to him, had never even said it to each other.  _ "K'dalah _ means family, small one."   
  
Keith's frown deepened and his gaze shot down, "Oh."   
  
Thace wanted nothing more than to hold the kit close and tell him that Keith was Thace's  _ K'dalah _ , that he, Kolivan, Antok, and Ulaz were his entire world-- he yearned to right his wrongs,  yet he didn't.   
  
In just a few short quintants, Keith would no longer be among them. It would be cruel of him to promise the child the family he'd always wanted before ripping it away.   
  
He had hopes that he would find a family on Earth, one that could love him freely. One that could help him live a long and safe life.   
  
That was not the life of a Blade.   
  
Thace's heart ached, watching as Keith walked back to his working table with a new slump to his shoulders, but he was young and he would move past the wrongs that the universe dealt him.   
  
That they had dealt him.   
  
"How are your studies going?" Thace's ear flickered in Ulaz direction, but he didn't look at him as the Blade came up behind him.   
  
Keith's face lit up at the sight of snacks on the platter that Ulaz held. Thace shook his head a bit. Ulaz was always trying to overfeed Keith, and the child already looked a bit plump.   
  
But lately, Thace hadn't stopped him, didn't see the point in depriving them of their simple pleasures.   
  
Keith got up from his station and picked a gray-colored treat off of the tray. He scrunched his nose at the coloring. "Did Kolivan make these?"   
  
Ulaz chuckled a bit and trailed off. "... Maybe."   
  
Keith had a sour face, but he still happily took one off the top and bit into it.   
  
Ulaz chuckled when Keith stopped chewing in an instant, disgust engraving itself onto his hairless face. "Are they that bad?"   
  
Keith seemed to force himself to swallow before choking out an unconvincing, "No."   
  
"You are too kind, kit," Thace told him, moving to take his own, his nostrils flaring at the putrid scent of them, "Kolivan cannot cook."   
  
Thace took a bite and let it rest a moment before spitting it back out into his palm. "These horrid things have the ability to wipe entire armies out of existence."   
  
Keith snorted a laugh, a bright, happy look on his face. One Thace hoped he would have for a long time to come.   
  
"Although I'm sure you haven't finished your studies, Antok wishes to see you." Ulaz said, a knowing look in his eye. Keith was notorious for not paying attention to anything but fighting and piloting.   
  
It was a pain in Thace's neck.   
  
Keith looked happy at the news and immediately ran to grab his bag, slinging it over his shoulder and running off with a quick, "Next dawn!"   
  
Ulaz and Thace watched him disappear from their sight before Ulaz muttered, "Has anyone told him?"   
  
"No. Kolivan decided it best not to tell him until the latest possible opportunity." Thace replied, moving so he was facing Ulaz.   
  
Ulaz hummed a somber note. "He's going to be crushed."   
  
"I believe we all will be, to a degree."   
  
~   
  
It came suddenly. He didn't expect it.   
  
His home, for as long as he could remember, had been with the Blade.   
  
Kolivan had been both his leader and his father, Thace had been his general and his teacher, Ulaz had been his doctor and his comfort, Antok had been his trainer and his dad.   
  
He knew of his mother, Thace loved her very much, but he didn't associate her with himself, the men and women of the Blade were his sisters, brothers, and guardians and Keith found that he didn't miss his true parents in their presence.   
  
He loved all them as deeply as his human heart could. He didn't think he could live without them and their guidance or the comfort they offered him. He thought maybe that was common in parental relationships among other species, too.   
  
He didn't think he would have to live without them for a long time and, if he was ever forced to part with them, he thought it would have been honorably by one of their deaths after a hard-fought-for and fulfilling life.   
  
He didn't think they would get rid of him; wash themselves of him like blood underneath their fingernails. Didn't expect them to lie about it, either, to sugarcoat their cruelty.   
  
"We've been assigned a mission on your home planet, I thought might want to accompany us," Ulaz said.   
  
Keith looked around in confusion, slowly lowering his sword. "All of us?" Every one of them-- Ulaz, Thace, Antok, and Kolivan--were stood around him as Ulaz made his offer.   
  
Ulaz smiled but it seemed strained, "We were unsure which of us you would want to go, so we've all decided to accompany you to your home planet."   
  
"Only Thace and Antok will be pursuing our mission," Kolivan piped in with his gruff voice.   
  
Keith slowly nodded, his confusion slowly bubbling down and intrigue replacing it. He would get to see his home planet like he'd always wanted, and he'd get to see it with them.   
  
It was more than he could've ever asked for.   
  
"I'd like that," Keith replied, a smile starting on his face. He had to admit he was confused when the others, not even Thace, didn't seem to share even a bit of his excitement.   
  
"We leave at dawn," Kolivan proclaimed.   
  
Thace startled an turned to look at Kolivan with wide eyes, "That soon?"   
  
Kolivan met his gaze evenly, "Yes. It is best the mission is completed swiftly."   
  
~   
  
_ "You aren't coming back with us, Keith." _   
  
Just like that, five hearts broke all at once-- and their paths strayed, splintered, but never separated.   
  
For one cannot simply unring a bell, no matter how much they may wish to.   
  
~   
  
Keith lived in a little shack in the desert for a long time, alone and starving. He ached for the companionship he had known for his whole life, thought maybe if he didn't eat for long enough that one of them would come from the sky to scold him.   
  
He'd do anything to hear their voices. Anything to not be so utterly alone.   
  
Depression enveloped him and he barely managed to keep himself alive for what seemed to be less than a phoebe, but he wasn't sure how to measure time on such a brightly-lit planet. He did nothing but exist for an almost embarrassing amount of time.   
  
It was the sight of a vulture hanging over the roof of his shack that made him realize he was wasting the life he'd been gifted with. If they didn't come back to him, he would come back for them.   
  
They wouldn't know what hit them.   
  
It seemed to be close to a full rotation before Keith packed up the little things he had and left the desert.   
  
He was fourteen when he started over, cracking his head on the windshield of a hovercar, warm, dark eyes hovering over him in worry.   
  
~   
  
"You should eat more than just that." Shiro stepped from behind him, his mug of coffee steaming as he moved to sit across from Keith.   
  
Keith rolled his eyes, taking another hearty bite out of his muffin, "This is enough," he said past a stuffed mouth, crumbs flying.   
  
"Don't talk with your mouth full," Shiro scolded lightly. "Iverson will make you run laps if you leave behind a mess."   
  
"He has it out for me," Keith muttered, "It doesn't matter what I do."   
  
"He doesn't have it out for you, Keith." Shiro chuckled.   
  
"He does!" Keith insisted.   
  
Shiro sighed. "If you say so, but you're just making it harder on yourself."   
  
Keith rolled his eyes again but didn't reply. He knew that Shiro liked seeing the best in people, even wretches like Iverson, but Keith also knew that the glint in Iverson's eyes every time he looked at Keith was pure malice and not 'intrigue towards a promising student' like Shiro always said it was.   
  
That man wanted to strip Keith's bones of his meat, he was sure of it. Shiro just had too much faith in their superiors but Keith didn't blame him; he'd grown up with a military family, Keith had not.   
  
At least he didn't think he had. He couldn't remember, but there were some things that were just instinctual, you didn't have to remember them to feel them. And he felt a lot of things, most of them uncertain.   
  
The device to his right buzzed on the table and both Keith and Shiro's eyes were drawn to it. Keith quickly silenced the reminder and Shiro said nothing as he reached into his pocket, drawing out a bottle of pills.   
  
Keith could feel Shiro eyes on him as he downed two, not chasing them with water.   
  
Keith put the pills back and Shiro finally said something. "Are you still getting migraines?"   
  
Keith shrugged. "Sometimes. Less."   
  
"Well, that's good. What did your doctor say about it?" Shiro asked, smiling.   
  
"She says that as long as I don't have any accidents that they should stop."   
  
"Does that mean you'll be taking a break from the Garrison?" Shiro asked slowly, visibly trying not to look hopeful.   
  
"No, Shiro." Keith replied gruffly, he could already feel irritation bubbling up.   
  
"You really should." he said gently.   
  
Keith glared at the dark-haired man. "Right before your Kerberos mission? Yeah, no."   
  
"Keith..." Shiro sighed. It was the sigh of a man who'd had this conversation far too many times.   
  
"No. I don't care what you think. I'm not going to sit around while you're in space doing God knows what. I'll go insane, Shiro." Keith crossed his arms.   
  
"This is for your health, Keith," Shiro implored. "At least consider taking some time off before the mission?"

 

Keith looked into Shiro’s eyes for a hard moment, he could see the wear on the strong man. He sighed.   
  
"I'll consider it," Keith agreed non-committedly, if only to take the stress off of Shiro.   
  
~   
  
Keith did not take a break. In fact, his nerves made him stress out even more, and when he took a bump to the head during a training exercise, it was the straw that broke the camel's back.   
  
His doctor said this wouldn't set back his progress, he didn't even have a concussion, but Keith just couldn't believe that he'd made such a mistake. With Shiro so close to leaving, his stress levels were high, so his break down wasn't so unexpected.   
  
"I'm going to forget," Keith sniffled into Shiro's shoulder. Shiro rubbed soothing circles into his back as he held him tightly.   
  
"You won't, Keith, you don't even have a concussion, you're going to be fine," he said.   
  
Keith shook his head insistently. "I should've listened. I should've taken a break."   
  
"There's nothing we can do about it now, you just have to be more careful."   
  
"You don't understand Shiro, I'm going to  _ forget. _ I'm going to forget and you'll be gone and when you get back I won't-" Keith cut himself off with a sob.   
  
"You won't forget, Keith. If you haven't forgotten already, you aren't going to." At this point, Shiro was seriously considering staying behind for the mission. He couldn't leave Keith in this state.   
  
"We don't know that. I forgot before, I can forget again, Shiro, I'll forget."   
  
"Keith," Shiro grabbed Keith by the shoulders and pulled him away to meet his eyes, "this is nothing like that, okay? This isn't like the accident."   
  
"Doesn't matter. That damage is already there and-" Keith pushed his face back into Shiro's shoulder.   
  
At this point, Shiro was at a loss. He didn't know how to convince Keith that he wouldn't forget Shiro, he felt useless; like the only thing he could do was hold the distraught raven and hope it would pass.   
  
Finally, he held Keith a little more tightly, his fingertips digging into Keith's shoulders, and asked, "Keith, do you want me to stay behind? Maybe my commander will allow the mission to be pushed back."   
  
Guilt clenched at Keith's heart like a vice, he shook his head resolutely. "No. You've worked so hard for this and I can't burden you more than I already have."   
  
"There will be other missions, Keith, I don't need to go on this one. Not when you're this upset," Shiro told him. Shiro would be disappointed, but there really would be others that he could go on. When Keith felt better.   
  
"No," Keith sniffled and shook his head. "you have to go."   
  
Shiro wanted to protest but didn't, just pressed his chin to the crown of Keith's head. "Okay."   
  
Keith would later regret not making Shiro stay.   
  
~   
But Shiro was right: he didn't forget. He just wished that he could, for a while.    
~   
  
Keith's first couple of years with Voltron were filled with a constant whirlpool of shifting emotions.   
  
He wouldn't have stayed if Shiro hadn't, but he did.   
  
His other teammates were questionable, but he'd had worse at the Garrison. Not worse than Lance, though no one he knew could have possibly annoyed him as much as Lance did.   
  
Still, they made it work, somehow.    
  
They'd been through so much in the four years and it amazed Keith to no end, he really didn't expect his past trifles to ever conflict with his new life.    
  
But, of course, they did.   
  
Shiro and Keith hadn't had a single conversation about his accident since they left earth together. Keith doubted that Shiro even remembered his migraines, which made him simultaneously grateful and sad.   
  
Shiro wasn't the same, that much Keith knew. He'd changed a lot in the past year and, in a way, it made Keith feel disconnected. Not just from Shiro, either. Keith sometimes felt like he was the odd one out on the team-- Pidge would talk about her family all of the time and even more so once they'd been found, Lance could wax poetic about Varadero beach for hours, Hunk enthused about his mother and father all of the time, and even Shiro had fond stories to tell of his somewhat absent family.   
  
Keith didn't have any of that.   
  
The team didn't know about his accident, he hadn't told any of them. He sat quietly when Lance teased him about being alone because of his standoffish personality, trying to take it for the joke it was supposed to be, and stayed stoic when the topic of childhoods was brought up.   
  
He suffered in silence for years as the team bonded over family, holding on tightly to the only memento he had of his own: his blade. It was something he cherished, but he didn't think that anything would ever come of it.   
  
Then, Shiro remembered someone name Ulaz. Apparently, Ulaz was a member of a secret anti-Zarkon society who had helped Shiro escape the ship he was held captive in. Ulaz left Shiro with the coordinates to a base that belonged to a group called The Blade of Marmora.   
  
The entire team went, unaware of what they would be walking into.   
  
That was when everything changed.   
  
The base was on a star in between two giant black holes, something Pidge was especially ecstatic about. "How do they maintain their location without being sucked in?" She asked in awe as they came into view.   
  
Soon, they were floating near a fiery star and Pidge said, "Here it is."   
  
"That doesn't look very friendly," Lance said.   
  
"It's not supposed to, dumbass," Keith snapped.   
  
"Be quiet," Shiro told them. "Pidge, is it safe for us to land on that?"   
  
"Not...exactly," Pidge said, "The star is way too hot for our lions to land on it. We'd be lion soup within seconds." That wasn't surprising, it looked like a giant ball of doom.   
  
"So what are we supposed to do?" Lance groaned, Keith could almost hear him dramatically throwing his head back.   
  
"I'm receiving a transmission!" Coran exclaimed. Everyone quieted as an unfamiliar voice filtered through their speakers.   
  
"Paladins of Voltron, what is your purpose here?" A heavy, rust-ladened voice greeted.   
  
"We received these coordinates from someone named Ulaz, we don't mean to intrude," Shiro took the liberty of saying.   
  
"I see, and which paladin are you?" The voice asked.   
  
"My name is Takashi Shirogane"   
  
"Takashi Shirogane." The name was absolutely butchered on this person's tongue. "And how did you come into contact with Ulaz?"   
  
"He rescued me when I was being held captive by one of Zarkon's ships," Shiro replied promptly. There was a short silence on the other side and, for a moment, Keith worried that he had hung up.   
  
"I see. You must be the Champion, then." There was a hum of thought, "I will allow you safe entry, but only two of you may enter and the champion has to be one of them. Choose wisely, paladins." There was a tell-tale buzz of a transmission going out.   
  
"I'm going with Shiro," Lance piped up immediately.   
  
"What? No, Shiro isn't going anywhere without me!" Keith exclaimed with a grumpy frown. Who the hell did Lance think he was? Why would he, of all people, be the one to go?   
  
"The Galra won't be able to handle your ugly face, Keef, I'll charm them with my beauty," Lance said frivolously.   
  
"If anyone should go, it should be Allura," Hunk said, "she's our diplomatic representative."   
  
"Hunk is right. I shall be the one to accompany Shiro to the Blades' base. Everyone else will await our return," Allura said.   
  
"Not to put a damper on your plans, princess, but the castle ship can't handle the kind of heat the star is putting off," Pidge piped in.    
  
"Can my lion withstand it?" Keith asked. If his lion couldn't do it, none of them could.   
  
"It should be able to... I think."   
  
"Then Keith will fly me and Shiro to the base and fly back," Allura said.   
  
"No," Keith shot it down immediately, annoyance flaring in his chest, "if I'm flying down there, I'm staying. My lion is the only one that can take it, so I'll fly Shiro to the planet and go with him."   
  
"I think Keith's right," Shiro said just as Allura made a noise of disagreement, "the both of us work the best together, and, since it's Keith's lion, it's only natural for him to be the one to join me."   
  
There was a short silence before Pidge said, quietly, "He has a point."   
  
Allura sighed. "Fine. But please do remember that this is of utmost importance to the alliance."   
  
~   
  
There was a Blade dressed in black and purple there to greet them as they landed. Shiro and Keith carefully stepped out of the lion. "Let me talk," Shiro said out of the corner of his mouth as the Blade approached them.   
  
"I will take you to the head of the Blade," The Blade said, their voice toneless and bland.   
  
Shiro tried for a smile. "Thank you."   
  
The Blade said nothing as they walked through the tunnels of their base which, to Keith, seemed almost too similar to a regular Galra base. It didn't help that the lights were giving him another migraine.   
  
They were lead far away from the front and soon Keith lost track of how many tunnels they'd gone through. The Blade used their thumb activate the doors that opened to reveal a large room with an almost unnecessary amount of open space. In the middle stood a tall, purple-faced man with a white braid and red markings on his forehead that reached up and onto his ears. To his right stood another Blade who was nearly three heads taller than Keith and had a mask covering his face.   
  
The Blade who had led them left immediately, letting the doors shut behind them. The man with the braid faced Keith, his face cold as his yellow eyes locked onto his face.   
  
Shiro stepped forward. "My name is Takashi Shirogane, I'm the black paladin of Voltron."   
  
The Galra took a step to shaking hands with Shiro, "I am Kolivan, I lead the Blades of Marmora."   
  
Keith idly brought a hand up to rub at his temple, he hoped this wouldn't take long; his head was killing him.   
  
Suddenly, the tall Blade was on the move. Keith's body tensed as the Blade put a hand on Kolivan's shoulder and leaned down to his ear. In an instant, Kolivan's eyes flashed to Keith and narrowed.   
  
Kolivan shoved past Shiro with quick strides and stood too close to Keith, his eyes suspicious as they looked down on him, "You wield a blade that doesn't belong to you, paladin."   
  
Keith tensed, his hand immediately straying to the sheath that hid his dagger. He glared back fiercely, turning to the side but not breaking his gaze, "I don't."   
  
Kolivan looked displeased with his refusal and, faster than Keith could keep up with, his arm was being twisted behind his back by the tall one as Kolivan reached for the hilt of his blade.   
  
Shiro shouted as Keith started struggling, twisting his hips in a futile attempt to get Kolivan to release his blade. He watched with wide, frantic eyes and Kolivan roughly pulled it out of its sheath.   
  
Keith's chest heaved in panic, his eyes following his most treasured item as the Blade looked it over.   
  
"Give it back," Shiro demanded, his voice cold as his right fist clenched.   
  
Kolivan didn't spare him so much as a glance as his face turned from displeased to borderline furious. Keith could feel the grip the tall one had on his arms tighten painfully. Keith grit his teeth as not to react, but his eyes never strayed from his blade, the only lifeline he had to his past.   
  
Kolivan gripped the dagger by its handle and let it face Keith, "Where did you get this blade?"   
  
Keith faltered. He didn't know where he got it. "None of your business," he hissed with false bravado, "give it back."   
  
"I'm not playing these games with you, human," Kolivan hissed, getting into Keith's face, "where did you get it?"   
  
"Hey!" Shiro pulled Kolivan back. Kolivan jerked his arm in a quick jab and elbowed Shiro roughly in the stomach.   
  
Kolivan sneered down at Keith for a moment before he made his face go blank. "You may stay as obstinate if you wish, but it won't last forever, human. Hold him until Thace and Ulaz arrive, I wish to have their opinion on the matter."   
  
With that, Kolivan cradled Keith's blade in his hands and walked out. Keith tried to pull away again, but he was held back with large, strong arms. Keith could recognize when he was out-muscled. Finally, he gave up with a huff though his body didn't relax.   
  
~   
  
The tall one did let go of him, but he guarded every exit, stoic and silent. Shiro hadn't let his eyes stray from the Blade, not even when Keith spoke to him. He seemed more irritated than Keith was, outwardly.   
  
Keith could guarantee, however, that it was impossible to be more inwardly irritated or agitated than he was at the moment. He felt like the Blade leader had stolen the floor out from under him the second he'd taken his blade and he didn't know what to do except hold onto Shiro, the only other anchor in his life.   
  
"They have no right," Shiro said.   
  
Keith wrapped his arms around his middle and shifted from one foot to the other, "What if they don't bring it back?"   
  
Shiro rested a hand on his shoulder, his face softening, "We'll get it back, Keith, I promise."   
  
Keith swallowed, his fingers itching to reach towards his sheath as if it would magically be there, but he shook his head, "No. We can't risk waging a war with them."   
  
"But it's _ your _ knife, Keith."   
  
"It's just a knife," Keith said though the words felt like sandpaper as they grated up his throat. Shiro pursed his lips and Keith knew that Shiro was fully aware of how important that blade was to him, but he stayed blissfully silent.   
  
Keith flinched and straightened as the doors slid open to reveal a galra taller than Kolivan but shorter than the masked Blade, tall, dark purple ears alert on his head. He looked pissed as he met Keith's eyes. He bared his teeth as he approached in large, purposeful strides. Keith didn't even notice as another white-haired galra came in after him and paused, staring wide-eyed at his face.   
  
Shiro stepped in front of Keith as the angered Blade approached, his chest puffed up as he glared up at him. The Galra's lips quirked up into a small smirk, "The Champion?"   
  
Kolivan stepped up behind him, "Indeed. But he can wait."   
  
The other galra nodded before promptly shoving past Shiro. Shiro made a move, his teeth gritted, but Kolivan stopped him with a strong hand on his arm, "He won't injure your human  _ fraud. _ " He spat the word _ fraud  _ like it had personally insulted him and Keith thought that might've confused him more than anything. What had Keith ever done to deserve such a title?   
  
Keith was distracted from Kolivan's actions as the other one pulled him by his collar. Keith snarled, but held himself back from making a move against the Blade, Allura would never forgive him if he messed this up over a pretty knife.   
  
"Where did you get the blade, human?" The Galra asked, baring his teeth.   
  
Keith mimicked his actions, his human teeth not nearly as intimidating, "That's none of your business."   
  
His grip tightened on his collar, "Who did you steal it from, thief? Where is the person you stole it from?"   
  
"I didn't steal it, purple face," Keith hissed, "it's mine, give it back."   
  
This seemed to enrage the Galra and he reached for something at his hip. Immediately, Keith retrieved his bayard and, within the second, their blades were clashing.   
  
They were pressed in closely, snarling like animals. Their swords ripped away from each other with a sharp _ 'shling!' _ and they barely spent another moment apart before they were back in each other's space, throwing their bodies into their wide, deadly swings.   
  
"Keith!" He heard Shiro's voice call out, but he didn't dare move his eyes from his opponent as he made a quick swipe of his blade toward his knees. Keith side-stepped it gracefully, his arm moving in an arc towards the other's head.   
  
The galra ducked and moved to stab Keith in the abdomen and Keith pushed himself back, but it didn't save his suit from being sliced into. He stumbled, his eyes flickering down to the slice in his suit for just a moment, but it was too long as the Galra used it to his advantage, taking Keith by the throat and throwing him into to the far wall.   
  
Keith choked as his back met the wall as a bone-breaking pace, knocking the breath out of him. Once more Shiro called out for him, but Keith couldn't comprehend it as the large Blade took him by the neck again, sliding him up the wall until his feet dangled above ground.   
  
"Are you ready to tell the truth, now?" The Galra asked without a hint of exertion.   
  
"That... _ is _ the truth," Keith choked, one of his eyes clenched shut and the other glaring into the Blade's glowing yellow ones.   
  
"You still dare to lie?" He spat. "I see you haven't been taught your lesson."   
  
The Galra dropped him and paused for a moment as his leader said, "Do not injure him, Thace, he is a paladin of Voltron."   
  
"He is _ scum, _ " Thace hissed in turn. Keith looked past Thace and met Shiro's eyes, frantic and worried. Keith gave him a small nod and Shiro relaxed a bit, taking a breath.   
  
"Everybody calm down," A sharp, foreign voice commanded. Keith's eyes were drawn to a third Blade standing in the room, a lighter skin tone than the others with thin, white hair going down the middle of his skull. He was the only Galra who didn't look angry with Keith, rather, he looked perplexed for a reason that Keith couldn't place.   
  
Thace turned on his fellow Blade, "You know what this creature did, Ulaz."  _ Ulaz? Shiro's Ulaz?  _ Keith glanced at Shiro, but he gave no hint at recognizing the newcomer.   
  
"No," Ulaz said calmly though his eyes showed a storm, "I don't."   
  
Ulaz walked up from his place near the door and kneeled next to Keith. His expression wasn't kind, but it wasn't vengeful like the others'. Ulaz frowned lightly, the expression almost delicate on the Galra's face, "What is your name, human?"   
  
Keith swallowed and looked briefly to Shiro, looking for guidance. Shiro nodded, clearly thinking about what would allow them to leave unscathed. Keith met Ulaz's gaze evenly, "Keith," he gritted out.   
  
It seemed as if everyone in the room had stopped breathing, much to Keith's alarm. Ulaz's eyes had gone wide, his expression taking a complete one-eighty. Keith cautiously slid to the side and kneeled, his hand back on his bayard. He could see Shiro having a similar reaction, stepping away from Kolivan who had gone stock-still, his eyes locked on Keith.   
  
"He lies," Thace spat, sounding angrier than he had before, his hands clenched so tightly Keith could see his palm bleeding from where his sharp, inhuman nails had broken skin.   
  
"Why would I lie about my name?" Keith growled, standing straight with his hand still holding onto his bayard tightly.   
  
"To mask your wrongs," Thace said. Thace turned to Kolivan, who still hadn't moved. "he lies, Kolivan."   
  
Kolivan didn't reply and Keith's eyes were drawn to the four Blades who Keith had honestly forgotten about. It was the one who had held him captive as Kolivan stole his blade, and now he faced Keith head on, silent.   
  
"What is your true name?" The quiet galra rumbled, his voice much more soothing than Keith had expected it would be. He'd been imagining a rough n' tumble voice that would rip him to shreds as easily as paper, if Keith was honest.   
  
"I don't understand," Keith admitted.   
  
"I think he's asking for your last name, Keith," Shiro said slowly.   
  
"My name is Keith Kogane," Keith said, giving the name Shiro had gifted him with without even thinking.   
  
Ulaz's face dropped a bit at that and he turned to look at Kolivan who met his gaze. "It seems his name is an improper indicator."   
  
"And what, pray tell, would be a proper indicator?" Thace asked.   
  
Kolivan crossed his arms over his chest. "If he can activate the blade; it is his."   
  
~   
  
Keith and Shiro walked closely together, their eyes never straying from the backs of the Blades who had taken to speaking amongst themselves in hushed tones in a language neither of them could understand.   
  
"What do you think they'll have you do?" Shiro whispered from behind his hand, his brow furrowed with concern.   
  
Keith kept his eyes forward, his stride purposeful, "I don't care what it is if it means I get my blade back and we win a new ally."   
  
Shiro's lips pursed, but he just turned his eyes back to the Galras' backs. Keith knew, despite his silence, that Shiro would stick by his choices no matter how questionable they may get in this place. Keith appreciated it and he lightly bumped his shoulder to Shiro's.   
  
The Blades stopped in front of a door that looked identical to all of the others they had passed. Kolivan turned to face them, "The champion will accompany us in the observation room while you complete your test."   
  
Keith felt Shiro tense next to him. Again, he bumped his elbow to Shiro's, asking him to trust him.   
  
Shiro nodded, his jaw tense, "I understand."   
  
As the Blades opened the door and filed in, Shiro met Keith's eyes. _ I hope you're right about this; I hope we make it out unscathed. _ _   
_   
When they stepped into the dark room, Kolivan walked off for a moment and came back, presenting Keith's blade to him. Keith snatched it up greedily, holding it to his chest like a child. Kolivan watched the motion with slightly narrowed eyes.   
  
The lights flicked on and Keith looked around. On the front of him was a room with a large, circular panel on the floor and a door to the far end. To his left was a staircase.   
  
Kolivan stopped looking at him and waved Shiro over, the other galra were already heading up the staircase. "We will observe from up here. There will be no interference."   
  
They started up the stairs and Keith called, "Wait! What am I supposed to do?"   
  
Kolivan only barely glanced at him, "You will know."   
  
Keith was soon alone and he decided to into the room. Suddenly, his exits were blocked and a mechanical soldier was lifted up from the ground, wasting no time as it leaped at him.   
  
Keith fought, it was his instinct.    
  
_ This isn't the door you are meant to go through. _ _   
_   
But he went through it. And went through it. Again, again, again.  He went through a door that was not meant for him and he fought, fought for the right to know who he was.   
  
~   
  
He was lying face down on the ground, his eyes bleary and his chest heaving from exertion. He could feel the stinging of his many wounds all over his body, the bruising on his stomach beating against his organs as he breathed. He hurt everywhere and wanted to sleep but...   
  
He'd done it.   
  
He let his cheek rest lightly on his dagger with a small, dazed smiled. He'd done it. They wouldn't take it from him, now, would they?   
  
"Keith?" Keith's eyes flicked up to look at Shiro who had kneeled by him, concerned.   
  
Keith simply lifted his hand with a small, happy smile. Shiro mirrored his smile, though less happy and more relieved; they didn't actually know if what Keith had done was enough. Shiro heaved Keith to his feet and shouldered his weight when the tired teen stumbled, wrapping a secure arm around his waist.   
  
They faced Kolivan as he approached, his arms crossed over his chest and his face unhappy "Did he pass?" Shiro asked.   
  
"No," Kolivan said the damning words in a low, steady tone. The other Galra followed behind him, eyes anywhere but Keith and Shiro.   
  
"What?" Keith asked, staring a Kolivan wth disbelief, "But I beat all of them!"   
  
"Yes," Kolivan confirmed slowly. His eyes strayed down to Keith's blade, "But you failed at activating the blade. It does not belong to you, just as we thought before."   
  
Kolivan stepped forward and Keith pressed his blade closer to his chest. Kolivan held his hand out, "Hand me the blade, human, you are not worthy of wielding it."   
  
"What? No-" Shiro stepped forward, ready to plead Keith's case, but Keith stopped him with a weak hand to the chest. He stopped, wide eyes locked onto Keith, "Keith, you can't...this is your only... "   
  
"I know," Keith mumbled. He only had eyes for his beloved blade, his hand tightening around the hilt before relaxing again. He met Shiro's eyes and tried for a smile he knew had failed, "But we won't make it out of here with me like this."   
  
Shiro's face dropped, but Keith knew he wouldn't argue with him anymore. Keith took a deep breath, felt like he was about to part with a piece of his soul. Slowly, painfully, heartbreakingly, he held the blade out to Kolivan and met his gaze as strongly as he could. "You can have it. I don't need it to know who I am."   
  
Kolivan put his hand on the hilt of the knife but didn't take it yet as Thace snarled, "Who you are? You are nothing more than a thief."   
  
Keith averted his eyes from Kolivan to look at Thace as he declared: "I am Keith Kogane; paladin of Voltron and brother of Shirogane Takashi. That's all I need."   
  
Thace looked briefly surprised, but all too quickly his eyes flashed down to the blade shared between Keith and Kolivan's hands. The blade had taken a purple glow, one so blinding yet captivating Keith couldn't look away and neither could the Galra--though it seemed to be for a different reason.   
  
Kolivan released the blade as the glowing dimmed, taking a step back as if shocked. Keith's eyes were wide as he took in the blade's new heft, its new form. No longer was it a small dagger, no, it had transformed into an elegant, full-length blade that stood proudly in Keith's hand.   
  
"Kolivan..." Keith's eyes flicked to the side to see Ulaz with a hand on Kolivan's arm, his eyes stuck on the blade.   
  
Kolivan's hands clenched at his sides as he nodded, "Yes. I know." he sounded choked up.   
  
Shiro came forward and rested a hand on Keith's shoulder. "Is this the awakening you were waiting for?"   
  
Kolivan's eyebrows pushed towards each other, a troubled expression as he said, "Yes." Kolivan then looked at Keith in a way that seemed almost pleading, "Keith, do you have any recollection as to how you came to own that blade?"   
  
Keith ran a hand up said sword and shook his head softly, "No."   
  
There was a choked sound, but Keith couldn't tell where it had come from. "What does this mean?" Thace asked, all aggression gone.   
  
Shiro stepped in for Keith, "Keith was in an accident when he was fourteen. he doesn't remember anything that happened before it."   
  
"No..." Keith looked at Ulaz strangely as the Blade gasped, horror plastered on his features. "You don't remember."   
  
The tall, masked Blade came without a sound, resting a solid shoulder against Ulaz's.   
  
"What's he talking about?" Keith asked.   
  
"Perhaps we should speak elsewhere. This is a most unexpected outcome," Kolivan sighed. He waved at Keith and Shiro, "Come, we have much to discuss. We may agree on the terms of our alliance afterward."   
  
~   
  
Ulaz felt as if he'd been shot out of an airlock, like he was floating in space and vulnerable to the toss and shake of every meteorite that seemed to be aimed at him.   
  
He had his arms stiffly at his sides as he walked in Kolivan ahead of the group they were leading further into the base. "He's a part of Voltron," Ulaz said, not quite sure what he intended to say by that statement.   
  
"A respectable practice," Kolivan replied. Ulaz frowned in displeasure. Kolivan knew full-well that wasn't what he was getting at.   
  
"A dangerous practice," Ulaz countered, sure to keep his voice down as to make sure the humans--human and half-galra wouldn't overhear.   
  
Kolivan looked down at him without breaking his stride, "What would you have me do about it?"   
  
"Nothing, Kolivan, that is not what I mean," Ulaz snapped.   
  
Kolivan's face softened a bit, "Yes, I know."   
  
"We failed." His voice was feeble.   
  
"We were well-intentioned," Kolivan countered smoothly, "we couldn't predict what would happen once we left," he said. It wasn't exactly reassuring, but it was better.   
  
It took all of Ulaz's effort to keep his back straight as all he wanted to do was fold in on himself. "We could've watched him better if he had stayed. He doesn't even remember, Kolivan."   
  
Kolivan's gaze turned into a glare at the hallway ahead, "He would be dead and Voltron would be without a red paladin if he had stayed with us. In addition, perhaps you shouldn't see his memory loss as a tragedy but as a blessing."   
  
_ "Why?"  _ Ulaz asked in insult. Why was it better for their kit to forget them? To forget his entire family and the childhood he grew up with?   
  
"Separation of any kind for a kit and their parents is traumatizing. Well-intentioned or otherwise, perhaps it is kind that he cannot remember the pain we burdened him with."   
  
At his words, guilt filled Ulaz once more.    
  
"Stars, let us get through this with our hearts intact."  _ Even if they had shattered long, long ago. _   
  
~   
  
Antok watched quietly from the corner as everyone got seated. His pack, discluding Keith, had taken one side of the room, sitting on the plush conference chairs that were spread around the rectangular table. Keith and The Champion to the other side, uncertain and guarded.   
  
Antok had never been more grateful for his mask than he had been then, able to watch his long-lost kit without repercussion, but his body was still stiff as tension filled the air.   
  
He knew this wasn't going to be an easy conversation and, though he was glad his kit was safe, he wished this was a conversation they'd never had to have. He wished that they'd thought Keith's departure through a bit more, but nothing could be done about it now; they could only hope he wouldn't reject them completely.   
  
"What is this about?" Keith asked, his voice much deeper and huskier than it had been when he was a kit. Natural, Antok knew, but still odd.   
  
Kolivan seemed to take a deep breath as if bracing himself. "I harbor the knowledge of who's blade that was. If you wish to hear it."   
  
Keith's eyes went wide and they strayed to the blade sitting to his left on the table. He looked back at Kolivan, his shoulders leaning forward, "Really?"   
  
Kolivan nodded slowly, his eyes slipping closed for a moment, "Yes."   
  
"Who?" Keith demanded immediately. Antok smiled thinly, some things, like a child's enthusiasm, never changed.   
  
"Your mother." It was Thace who spoke, the twist of his lips the only indication he was still pained by the disappearance of his sister.   
  
"You...you knew my mother?" Keith breathed. Excitement and anticipation leaked out of his being. His friend, however, looked cautious.   
  
"Hold on, Keith, let's not get too excited, yet." Shiro turned his gaze to Thace, "Do you have proof of this?"   
  
Antok's pack shared looks and it was Ulaz who answered, "Not...of this," He quickly continued as Keith's face dropped, "but I have something else!"   
  
Keith watched with curious eyes as Ulaz walked up to Antok, holding out his hand. The action had been carried out so many times, Antok didn't even think about it anymore as he reached into his back pocket and took out a bent and frayed-at-the-edges link of photographs. Ulaz took them delicately and looked down at them fondly for a moment before setting them in front of Keith, "Look."   
  
Keith took the photograph gently, no doubt noting its wear, and looked at it, his friend peering over his shoulder. "What...is this?"   
  
Kolivan moved his hands so they clasped on the table in front of him. He looked like a man ready to face a battle. "It is you as a young child."   
  
"This looks like a child of...maybe five?" The Champion said, squinting at the photo.   
  
"And the Galra in the photo..." Keith trailed off. "...but, if that's true, then..." his eyes flashed up to meet Ulaz's, "who are you?"   
  
Thace stepped forward, "We were your pack when you were young; your mother is my sister."   
  
Keith's chest stopped inflating with breath and he stared at Thace, his jaw hanging open in blatant shock. "No."   
  
Ulaz frowned softly, "No? What do you mean-"   
  
Keith stood abruptly, the soles of his shoes squeaking against the flooring as he stood. "I--I can't..." Keith shook his head, his eyes wide as they stared down at his feet. "No..."   
  
"Keith-" Ulaz took a step forward and Keith's head snapped up, his eyes locking on Ulaz and then fluttering back to the photoset on the table. He shook his head again, "I can't--I'm...sorry, I just-" he let out a distressed whine that had everyone in the room tensing before he turned on his heel and left.   
  
They all watched the door for a second, disbelieving.   
  
The Champion stood and looked at them, he didn't seem to know how to think or feel. "He...just needs some time." The door closed quietly behind him as he left, chasing after his companion.   
  
Thace slammed his hands on the table, guilt and anger a battle on his face. "We've made a dire mistake."   
  
"Yes," Antok confirmed. He stood as tall as he could, his own heart panging at their kit's exit, "but we will have time to right our wrongs."   
  
Or, at the very least, they would have to hope they did.   
  
  


**Author's Note:**

>  **I'm taking prompts for my Bad Things Happen Bingo over on Tumblr:** one-trigger-lullaby.tumblr.com


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